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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 APRIL 2019 3 NEWS Level 7, Airways House, High Street, Sliema. Tel: 21 222 999. Email: cruise@cruiseandtravel.com.mt Download a brochure at: www.cruiseandtravel.com.mt MTA Licence: TRA/M02 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "We have established a specialised committee which will be verifying anything done in the fish- eries department, looking into what needs to be changed, and taking stock of the various relevant reports, such as those drawn up by the National Statistics Office, the European Commission and the Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID)," Camilleri said. "It will then be working on any changes which need to be put in place, in terms of legis- lation, regulations, and controls. We are awaiting a report from the ex- perts in this committee." The parliamentary secretary added that "internal discus- sions" were also ongoing to see what improvements need to be implemented to curtail abuse, ahead of the actual re- port by the committee being finalised. He said that new rules intro- duced by the government re- quiring that tuna catches to be weighed, in addition to count- ing of fish had already led to improved detection of abuse. "We will continue to bolster our legislation to continue strictly regulating and strengthening the sector," Camilleri emphasised. Asked about any developments on the Fenech Farrugia case in terms of the Maltese or Spanish authorities' investigations, Camilleri did not pro- vide new information, insisting that a magisterial inquiry was under way. "A magisterial inquiry is ongoing, and we need to allow it to do its work. As parliamentary secretary, I won't be in any way intruding on the investiga- tion," he said. Tuna quota up by 34 tonnes, 52 new permits given Camilleri was responding to MaltaToday's ques- tions after a press conference announcing the opening of the tuna fishing season and the alloca- tion of new quotas for catches. He said that this year's tuna quota for Maltese fishermen will be increased by 34 tonnes, bringing the total na- tional quota up to 353 tonnes. The government, he said, would also be issuing permits to an additional 52 fishermen. The 52 new vessels will join the existing fleet of 63, which will have almost doubled over a period of 12 months. Camilleri explained that the new tuna permits were being issued to fishermen who had caught more than 400kg of swordfish in 2018. "We arrived at a just system to strengthen the tuna indus- try, which currently consists of 63 fishermen, by issuing new licenses to 52 boats who caught over 400kg of swordfish last year, by way of a reward for their full-time commitment as fishermen," Camilleri said. Furthermore, he said that those fishermen who were not equipped to fish for swordfish last year, and who hadn't reached the 400kg minimum quo- ta, would be allocated a 10-tonne allowance, ena- bling them to catch up to two tuna fish, he added. Tuna quota up by 34 tonnes Parliamentary secretary Clint Camilleri MASSIMO COSTA CUSTOMS has seized a con- tainer carrying cocaine worth €2.7 million, just 48 hours after it busted 91.2kg of the same drug. In a statement Tuesday even- ing, the Customs Department said its Container Monitor- ing Unit had scanned several containers, with irregularities having been detected in one of them, pointing to possible nar- cotics hidden in a refrigeration compressor unit. A total of 20 packets of co- caine, weighing 24 kg, were elevated, with a total estimated street value of €2.7 million. The container was transhipping to Malta from South America, en-route to Tirana, in Albania. The case was handed over to the police Anti-Drug Squad, who are conducting investiga- tions. A magistrate is leading an inquiry on the case, assisted by a team of experts from the forensics unit. This year, in just 14 weeks, the customs department sur- passed last years' drug detec- tion results, seizing 515.2kg of cocaine. Customs seize €2.7m worth of cocaine

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